It's like looking into the distant future. :D[/caption]I heard on the radio this morning that Steve Martin, 67, and his wife Anne Stringfield, 41, recently had a baby! Their lives are incredibly private -- while the baby was born in December, this is the first time most are hearing about it, now in mid-February.
However, it didn't take long for the naysayers to come out of the woodwork, already clamoring about to say, "He's selfish!" "He'll be dead before s/he's 20!" "Why didn't they get started on this sooner?!" And to them I say, among other things:
Mind your own goddamn business.
It's funny how fast those comments came about. Amidst all the congratulations and happiness surrounding the birth, there sure were a lot of people who were quick to say that what they did was terrible. Even one of the hosts of the radio station I listen to was saying that she thought it was selfish and that "younger parents are better for children" than older parents.
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EVERYBODY SHUT UP!![/caption]As I told that radio station via text: I don't know why people are calling it selfish. There's no guarantee that ANY of us will be here for our children, by way of disease or accident or fate or whatever. If having a child brings him joy, and if he makes his time with his child more about quality than quantity... I'd consider him a better parent than most.
It's a statement that made me tear up as I was writing it, as I feel Kit kick in these early hours and hiccup like he just downed an entire loaf of French bread (that's what does it for Mommy, at least). Despite the fact that I'll be 28 when he's born and will statistically have more time with him than Steve Martin will with his baby (and let's face it, "more time" is statistically the only plus side to having kids younger), I'll still be away from him 8+ hours of the day while I go to work. I DID worry about for a bit.
But after reading this story and thinking about it that way... it put everything into perspective. No matter how much time I spend with my son, it'll mean nothing if it isn't quality time. Putting myself in Martin's shoes and realizing that time is so precious and so fleeting really put all that into perspective.
And honestly, we don't know when our time is going to be. What if it's much sooner than we anticipated, and we're leaving young(er) children behind? I'd want to leave my child(ren) with memories of the times we spent together, no matter how short, and how they were made to feel special every moment I was with them, than the alternative.
So to all those aforementioned naysayers, consider that fact and live life like Steve Martin: Every day to the absolute fullest and with purpose, for you and your children. :)
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